Torque wrench dilemma
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,648
Likes: 3
From: Wilmington, MA
Torque wrench dilemma Hey guys,
Here's the deal, I need a little bit of help with a decision.
I have 3 torque wrenches. 1/2" Craftsman, which is 0-250lbs I think. I use it for lugs, suspension parts.
3/8" Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight. You know, the $15 ones. More minor stuff, brakes, header bolts and such
1/4" Pittsburgh also from HF. Interior stuff, EGR bolt, etc. Also $15
The thing is, my ******* POS Craftsman has broken TWICE. They are $65 and they do NOT warranty them. I had to buy another one because when I broke the first, I was in the middle of a project. Now my 2nd one has broken. 2 over the course of 3 years. The wacked thing is, I use it maybe....10-20 times a year TOPS.
Right now, I'm trying to decide whether I splurge, get a $300 snap-on (which seems like an awful lot when you consider how little I use them), a similarly priced Husky (60-70$ I think), only difference is they appear to be lifetime warranty from home depot, or finally, a $10 Pittsburgh Harbor Freight one. Who cares if the thing breaks, it's $10. I could have bought 13 of them by now if I hadn't bought Craftsman junk. If they broke every year and a half that's about 20 years worth.
Any ideas? Any experience with Husky? If they really will replace it, no questions asked, then I will probably go with them. Do you have to have a receipt and stuff or do you just bring it in?
It really annoys me that my 3-4 year old $15 Pittsburgs still work great. And I've used them way more often than my Craftsman. They might not be the most accurate thing (I wouldn't use them on engine parts for example), but they do the job.
And yes, I do treat my torque wrenches right - at least I think I do. I always unwind them to 0 everytime I'm done with them. Never drop em, always stored till I need em. Never use them as a breaker bar (though this 2nd broken craftsman just became an expensive breaker bar).
Thanks,
Dope
Here's the deal, I need a little bit of help with a decision.
I have 3 torque wrenches. 1/2" Craftsman, which is 0-250lbs I think. I use it for lugs, suspension parts.
3/8" Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight. You know, the $15 ones. More minor stuff, brakes, header bolts and such
1/4" Pittsburgh also from HF. Interior stuff, EGR bolt, etc. Also $15
The thing is, my ******* POS Craftsman has broken TWICE. They are $65 and they do NOT warranty them. I had to buy another one because when I broke the first, I was in the middle of a project. Now my 2nd one has broken. 2 over the course of 3 years. The wacked thing is, I use it maybe....10-20 times a year TOPS.
Right now, I'm trying to decide whether I splurge, get a $300 snap-on (which seems like an awful lot when you consider how little I use them), a similarly priced Husky (60-70$ I think), only difference is they appear to be lifetime warranty from home depot, or finally, a $10 Pittsburgh Harbor Freight one. Who cares if the thing breaks, it's $10. I could have bought 13 of them by now if I hadn't bought Craftsman junk. If they broke every year and a half that's about 20 years worth.
Any ideas? Any experience with Husky? If they really will replace it, no questions asked, then I will probably go with them. Do you have to have a receipt and stuff or do you just bring it in?
It really annoys me that my 3-4 year old $15 Pittsburgs still work great. And I've used them way more often than my Craftsman. They might not be the most accurate thing (I wouldn't use them on engine parts for example), but they do the job.
And yes, I do treat my torque wrenches right - at least I think I do. I always unwind them to 0 everytime I'm done with them. Never drop em, always stored till I need em. Never use them as a breaker bar (though this 2nd broken craftsman just became an expensive breaker bar).
Thanks,
Dope
I would get a plain ol' fashion't beam type wrench, or a dial-indicator
type. The clickers seem to be pretty unreliable. I have all three and
the clicker after only casual use is pretty far off cal. The only good
thing about the clickers is you don't have to be in-position to get
indication, but a bogus indication is no good either....
I have pulled my Craftsman 250# beam type to full pegged with no
ill effect. You can recalibrate it with a pair of pliers if you manage
to overdo it. Bending steel with your bare hands, Mr. Kent?
At least if you have one of the more robust ones, you can save the
clicker type for when you really need it (which is, how often?).
A pawnshop beam-type in a name brand ought to set you back
20 bucks or less, and Chinese at the Harbor Freight about the
same.
type. The clickers seem to be pretty unreliable. I have all three and
the clicker after only casual use is pretty far off cal. The only good
thing about the clickers is you don't have to be in-position to get
indication, but a bogus indication is no good either....
I have pulled my Craftsman 250# beam type to full pegged with no
ill effect. You can recalibrate it with a pair of pliers if you manage
to overdo it. Bending steel with your bare hands, Mr. Kent?
At least if you have one of the more robust ones, you can save the
clicker type for when you really need it (which is, how often?).
A pawnshop beam-type in a name brand ought to set you back
20 bucks or less, and Chinese at the Harbor Freight about the
same.
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 261
Likes: 0
From: Freehold, NJ
Get the Husky from Home Depot (made by SK Tools.. I think) or a Kobalt from Lowes (made by Snap-On). Definately positively without a doubt stay away from Harbor Freight when it comes to torque wrenches.
The beam type of torque wrenches are bigger then the click type so you may not be able to use them in all the places you can use the click type (like the back header bolts.. )
The beam type of torque wrenches are bigger then the click type so you may not be able to use them in all the places you can use the click type (like the back header bolts.. )
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 179
Likes: 3
From: Warsaw , Ohio
Get the Snap-on, you only get what you pay for. I got my 3/8" in 1974 and my 1/2" in 1978 both have worked flawlessly all these years. I had them checked for calibration several times over the years and each time they were right on the money . Some things are much to important to trust to cheap tools.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,648
Likes: 3
From: Wilmington, MA
Think I'm gonna buy the Husky since I can bring it back if it breaks. And I'll get the HF one for $10 just as a backup, if the Husky breaks at a bad time.
I don't use torque wrenches enough to justify the cost of a snap-on.
Dope
I don't use torque wrenches enough to justify the cost of a snap-on.
Dope
Originally Posted by sssuch
Get the Snap-on, you only get what you pay for. I got my 3/8" in 1974 and my 1/2" in 1978 both have worked flawlessly all these years. I had them checked for calibration several times over the years and each time they were right on the money . Some things are much to important to trust to cheap tools.
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,648
Likes: 3
From: Wilmington, MA
Originally Posted by Brads454
I have a 1/2" Mac TQ Wrench and it kicks ***! How'd you break yours?
2nd one just cliks if you put any amount of pressure on something. Doesn't matter what you set it to. Just clicks right away.
Dope
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Snap On all the way. We use Torque wrenches all day long so we send send our wrenches out a few times a year to Team Torque to get them re-calabrated. We have a torque analyzer at work to check calabration. We use Proto Wrenches (cause we have to for some reason) but if it was my choice I would by only snap-on and the piece of mind that comes with that brand. If I were you and used them sparingly go with a MAC wrench good quality and are not too expensive. ratchiting Torque wrenches need to re-calabrated more often than a standard would need. They are more prone to break. We leave our wrenches at around 100 or lesss when not in use. puting it at zero isnt always the best thing for these wrenches. The springs are made to be loaded. Thats what we are always told to do with our wrenches. Hope this helps ya.
Just out of cruiosty, when not in use do you leave tension on the torque wrench? My craftsman is 4 years old with daily usage and is about 1 ftlb off from a buddys new snap on.
Staging Lane
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Grammar Nazi Regional Headquarters; Arlen, Texas, U S of A
I have a Craftsman torque wrench that has served me well, and I keep it stored at the maximum setting that the instructions say is allowed when not in use (25lbs, I think).
However, I borrow a friend's top-of-the-line Snap On torque wrench when I'm doing critical stuff like head bolts...
However, I borrow a friend's top-of-the-line Snap On torque wrench when I'm doing critical stuff like head bolts...
I'll tell you one not to get - don't get the craftsman one with the "window" over the indicator. That thing is a POS. In any kind of serious use the window gets fogged up and the grip starts sliding all over the place and you can't see the indicator. I'm going to have to cut my grip off and just tape it up because at the moment its worthless. The other craftsman wrenches aren't bad. As for snap on - I use those at work and we have to calibrate them a lot. For personal use they might be allright though.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 521
Likes: 0
From: Farmingdale NJ
Originally Posted by WFC
Snap On all the way. We use Torque wrenches all day long so we send send our wrenches out a few times a year to Team Torque to get them re-calabrated. We have a torque analyzer at work to check calabration. We use Proto Wrenches (cause we have to for some reason) but if it was my choice I would by only snap-on and the piece of mind that comes with that brand. If I were you and used them sparingly go with a MAC wrench good quality and are not too expensive. ratchiting Torque wrenches need to re-calabrated more often than a standard would need. They are more prone to break. We leave our wrenches at around 100 or lesss when not in use. puting it at zero isnt always the best thing for these wrenches. The springs are made to be loaded. Thats what we are always told to do with our wrenches. Hope this helps ya.
Proto is a Snap On brand
Never used a Proto torque wrench so I don't know how they compare, but all of the Proto tools I've used when I worked in manufacturing were VERY nice quality.
In my opinion Proto and Snap-On Branded TQ wrenches are by and far the best.
I personally will never again use a Husky TQ wrech due to the awful accuracy of the units I have personally handled.Also,ALOT of their tools are made in shitty facilities in Asia.
I've never had a problem with my Craftsman TQ wrecnhes beam or click type.
Don't forget a TQ wrench is a preceision instrument and should be treated as such. Always return it to 0 when done and do not mishandle it. If utmost accuracy is important have it calibrated yearly.
I personally will never again use a Husky TQ wrech due to the awful accuracy of the units I have personally handled.Also,ALOT of their tools are made in shitty facilities in Asia.
I've never had a problem with my Craftsman TQ wrecnhes beam or click type.
Don't forget a TQ wrench is a preceision instrument and should be treated as such. Always return it to 0 when done and do not mishandle it. If utmost accuracy is important have it calibrated yearly.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 658
Likes: 0
From: Harrisburg, PA
Originally Posted by Pete2k_Z28
Proto is a Snap On brand
Never used a Proto torque wrench so I don't know how they compare, but all of the Proto tools I've used when I worked in manufacturing were VERY nice quality.
Never used a Proto torque wrench so I don't know how they compare, but all of the Proto tools I've used when I worked in manufacturing were VERY nice quality.
I thought Proto was Manufactured by Stanley.
http://www.stanleyproto.com/default....&PAGE=HOME.HTM
Tony
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 521
Likes: 0
From: Farmingdale NJ
Originally Posted by PSU_Engineer
I thought Proto was Manufactured by Stanley.
http://www.stanleyproto.com/default....&PAGE=HOME.HTM
Tony
http://www.stanleyproto.com/default....&PAGE=HOME.HTM
Tony
I still stand by my other statement though, Proto tools are VERY nice quality although I've never used their TQ wrenches.
Edit: Although looking at Snap On's site (under "other Snap On sites), it lists Blackhawk as a Snap On company. Yet, under Stanley's sites, it lists Blackhawk as a division of Proto..... although that's Blackhawk Collision Repair, and the Stanley Blackhawk is hand tools... wonder if that's just coincidance? The insignias are different but who the hell knows??? Ok now I'm confused.....